Shooter Forced His Way Into Newtown School, Police Say

Connecticut State Police J. Paul Vance asked reporters Saturday not to contact family members of the Newtown shooting victims. Photo Credit: Greg Canuel

Parents arrive at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Conn., to look for their children after a gunman shot and killed 20 children and 6 adults there on Jan. 14, 2012.Video Credit: Julie CurtisThe scene outside Sandy Hook School in Newtown after Friday's shooting. Photo Credit: Jes Siart

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Updated 10:45 a.m. NEWTOWN, Conn. — The suspect in the shooting of 20 children and six adults at
Sandy Hook School
forced his way into the building, state police said Saturday.

The suspect in Friday morning’s massacre, widely identified as 20-year-old Adam Lanza, of Newtown, was found dead inside the school.

“He was not voluntarily let into school at all. He forced his way into the school,” State Police Lt. J. Paul Vance said at a news conference Saturday morning.

He also said police have recovered evidence that may help find a motive from a nearby home on Yogananda Street, where Lanza is believed to have lived with his mother, Nancy, who it is widely reported was found dead there.

“Our investigators at the crime scene and secondarily, at the secondary crime scene where the female was located deceased, did produce some very good evidence in this investigation that are our investigators will be able to use in hopefully painting a picture as to how, and more importantly, why this occurred," Vance said.

A woman who was shot but survived has been treated and is “doing fine,” Vance said.

“She will be instrumental in this investigation,” he said.

Police have identified all the victims of the shooting but have not yet released their names. The parents and family members of the victims have asked not to be contacted by the media, Vance told the mass of reporters gathered at the conference in Treadwell Park Saturday morning.

“At the request of all of the family members, they have asked for you to please respect their privacy. They are going through, as I know you understand, a very difficult and trying time," he said. ”We have in fact … reassigned and continue to assign a trooper to these folks to help to maintain that solitude.”

The names of the victims may be released later Saturday.

A crisis intervention team form Yale-New Haven Hospital has been established in the community and is open to anyone. It can be reached at 203-270-4283.